Vehicle-wheel.



No. 839,018; PATENTED DEC. 18, 1906.

T. MIDGLEY.-

VEHICLE WHEEL.

APIfLIOATION FILED JULY 1, 1905.

, Z 35% d tto 5m UNITED STATES,

PAMTENTZ ()FFIOE.

THOMAS MIDGLEY, OF HARTFORD, OO NEbTIOUT. VEHICLE-WHEEL.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 18, 1906.

Application filed July 1, 1905. Serial No.-267,999.

Improvements in Vehicle-Wheels, of which the'following is a specification.

This invention relates to vehicle-wheels, and particularly to tires and rims for such whee s. l

, One important object of the present invention is to rovide a rim and resilient tire for vehiclewli eels of such construction that the tire may be very quickly and easily ap lied to the wheel and may be securely'held tiiereon.

A further object of the invention is to provide a resilient tire and securing devices therefor of such construction ,that the tire ma be securely held upon the wheel without inc osing any considerable portion of the rubber or other resilient material .of which the tire is made in a channel, thereby decreasing the amount of rubber or other resilient material required to cushioning eflec A further object of the invention is to provide a resilient tire and securing devices therefor of simple, serviceable, and inexpensive construction and which ma be easily applied to a wheel-folly of the or inary type without altering the felly.

With the above objects in view and others which will hereinafter appear the invention consists in certain features of construction, combination, and arrangement of parts, all of which are hereinafter described, illustrated in the accompanying drawings, and the appended are clearly pointed out in claims.

Referring to the drawings, in-which corresponding parts are designated by similar aracters of reference, Figure 1 is a perspective view ofa section of wheel felly, rim, and tire constructedaccording to the present invention. Fig. 2 is a perspective view of a section of wheel felly, tire, and rim also constructed according to the present invention, but differing somewhat from those shown in 'Fig 1 Described in general terms, the invention com rises a resillent tire having embedded in the ase thereof afreinforcing structure of special construction b means of which the base of the tire is ren ered'inextensible and laterally substantially incompressible and a rim including securing means. whereby the produce a certain degree'of.

-ing-rings 4 tire is wedged securely in position upon the wheel-rim.

Referring to the drawings, F designates the felly of a wheel, and this is of the usual or any preferred construction. On the exterior of inclined in opposite directions and serve as f seating-surfaces for two wedging-rings 4, each of which is triangular in cross-section and is preferably formed hollow, as shown.

The wedging-rings 4 may be secured in position in various ways; but I preferably employ a plurality of transverse bolts 5, which extend entirely across the band 1 and lie partially in transverse rooves provided to receive them. These olts 5 afford means for drawing the wedging-rings tightly between the band or ring 1 and the base of the tire T,

.the base of the tire being constructed to present two divergent and slightly-inclined faces 6, thus leaving two spaces conforming 'substantiall in cross-section to the wedg etween the base of the tire and the band 1. When the wedging-rings 4,

which are both transversely cut, as shown at 7, are wedged home between the band- 1 and the tire T, they become slightly expanded to conform to the inclines 3, presented by the outer surface of the band, and the outer sur-- faces of. the wedging-rings combine sent a shallow channel with diverging sides,

to prein which the tire rests.

9 gently-sloping I v The tire itself may be of the solid, cushion,

or pneumatic t marily designe for embodiment in solid tires, and I have shown such tires only in the accompanying drawings, the changes necessary to adapt the invention to cushion or e but the invention is pri pneumatic tires being of such obvious character as to require no illustration or description.

The tire T may be of an sions, depending upon the I and the conditions under whichthevehi'cle .is to be used; but in all cases the tire com-' prises a body 8; of rubber, and an embedded reinforcing or strengthening structure 9, which is serves to determine the diameter of the tire at the base and its width at the base. This reinforcing. structure 9 consists of a plurality loo suitable dimen-- l 0941' be carried located at the base of the tire and of interlaced helices of wire (shown 1n I i as having their axes extending transversely of the tire) and suitable reinforcing wires or cables 10, which extend circumferentially of the tire. These circumferential wires 10 lie between the whirls of the helices, and as they are inextensible the wires 10 prevent the tire from stretching at the base and offer a suitable resistance to the wedging action of the rin s 4. The interlaced helices serve, primari to bind the rubber of the tire and the longitudinal wires 10 in association; but they also serve to space the wires at roper intervals and to determine definite y the width ofthe tire at the base. In the construction of the tire the reinforcing structure is thoroughly embedded in the rubber of which the tire is formed, and as the reinforce ing structure is flexible, but is not extensible or laterally compressible to any considerable degree, it permits the tire to be easily a plied to the rim of the wheel and gives de -nite form to the base of the tire, which rests in the shallowchannel offered by the wedging-rings.

The application of the tire above described to the rim will be very readily understood from the drawings and the foregoing description. One mode of procedure is to slip the tire onto the main rim member 1 before either of the wedging-rin s 4 is brought into position, then to intro uce the wedgingring-s into the spaces left between the tire and the main rim member 1 and force them home by means of the transverse bolts 5, which must be used in such a way as to effeet a uniform Wedging action around the entire wheel. To remove the tire, the o eratioIi above described is reversed. The olts 5 are removed, and then the wedging-rings may be easily slipped ofi the wheel to permit the removal of the tire.

In the construction shown in Fig. 2 the felly F is of ordinary construction, and the band or ring 20, which encircles the folly, is

substantially the same as the band 1, above mentioned. The band, 20 presents oppositely-inclined outer surfaces 21, which afe ford seats for wedging-rings 22 and 23, and these rings in turn offer a seat'for the tire T. The rings 22 and 23 differ somewhat in con. struction from the rings 4, above mentioned, these rings being arranged to overlap, as shown, and thus to offer a more complete seat for the base of the tire than those already described. The rings 22 and 23 are both rolled out of sheet metal, preferably steel, and are both transversely cut, so that expansion may take place when the rings are drawn together over the inclined faces 21 of the band 20. The ring 22 presents a wide inner portion 24 and a relatively narrow outer portion 25, the inner portion 24 comprising an inclined part, which corresponds to one of the inclined faces 21 of the band 20, and a horizontal part 26, which extends beyond the middle of the band 20 and overlies the lower portion of the ring 23. The ring 23, on the other hand, presents a relatively narrow lower portion 27,- which is of about the same width as the adjacent inclined face 21 of the band 20 and, a relatively wide upper portion 28, which includes besides the inclined part a horizontal extension 29, which supports the narrow upper portion 25 of the ring 22. Together the rings 22 and 23 inclose a chamber 30 of reater depth at the sides than in the middle, and through this chamber the transverse bolts 31, by which the wedging-rings are drawn home and secured, extend. As will be seen, the height of the chamber 30 in the middle is just suflicient to permit the bolts to be passed throu h it, and the bolts olfer a solid support for t 1e outer portions of the two rings.

The tire T, which is shown in Fig. 2, difiers considerably in proportions from the tire T, (shown in Fig. 1,) as will be observed. The tire T is, much wider in proportion to its thickness than the the T, and accordingly with a given load the pressure er unit of area on the tread of the tire will e less than on the tire T, if the tires be made of the same weight for wheels of the same diameter. Consequently there is less strain u on the rubber, of which the tire is compose and a smaller degree of compression results. The tire T consists of a body of rubber 32, as usual, and in the base, which presents two divergent and slightlyinclined surfaces, there is embedded a reinforcing structure 33, composed of a plurality of interlaced helices whose axes extend longitudinally in the tire and a lurality of inextensible Wires or cables 34, w ich are threaded through the helices, as shown, and determine accurately the diameter ofthe tire.

The application of the tire to a wheel or its removal therefrom may be very easily ac complished, as will be evident from an in.- speetion of the drawings. Ordinarily the wedging-ring 23 will be a proximately seated upon the band 20, whic is secured around the felly of the wheel. Then the tire will be applied to the ringl 23, the relatively wide upper portion of w ich afi'ords an adequate support for the tire.- Finally, the wedgingrin 22 will be inserted between the band 20 IIC an the base of the tire, when the tightening of the bolts 31 will draw the two rings together and cause the rings and the tire to become tightly wedged upon the periphery of the wheel. To remove the tire, the bolts 31 are removed and the wedging-rings mayperiphery of the wheel, and such construction is preferred, it will be obvious that one wedging ring in either form of the invention may be permanently secured upon the periphery of the wheel, and, if desired, be-

7 and presenting two portions corresponding in position to the inclined surfaces 0 2. The combination with a tirehaving a the base.

base reinforced by a plurality of embedded helices of wire, of means for securing the tire upon a wheel, said means including a wedgdug-ring disposed between the base of the tire and the periphery of the wheel.

3. The combination with a tire of fixed diameter at the base and having the base reinforced by a plurality of embedded helices of wire, of means for securing "the tire upon a wheel, said securing means including a wedging-ring disposed between the base of the tire and the periphery of the-wheel.

4. The combination with a vehicle-wheel tire which is inextensible at the base and has the base reinforced b a plurality of embed: ded helicesof wire, o means for securing, the tire in position on 'a wheel, said securing means including a wedging-ring disposed between thetire and the periphery of the wheel, and a plurality of transverse bolts for drawing the wedging-ring home.

5. The combination with a tire having an inextensible base reinforced by aplurali-ty of embedded helices of wire, of means for securing the tire upon a wheel, said securing means comprising a hollow wedging-rin disposed between the base of the tire and film periphery of the wheel.

6, The combination with a vehicle-wheel presenting an inclined surface on its periphery, of a tire having an inextensible base reinforced by a plurality of embedded helices q of wire, a cut wedging-ring disposed between the inclined outer surface of the'periphery of the wheel and the base of the tire, and means for forcing the wedging-ring home to secure the tire in position upon the wheel.

7. The combination with a vehicle-Wheel presenting an inclined surface on its periphery, of a tire of resilient material havln embedded in its base a plurality of inter aced. helices of wire and an inextensible circumferential..wire, a cut wedging-ring disposed be tween the inclined outer surface of the eripheryof the wheel and the base of the tlre,

and means for forcing the wedging-ring home to secure the tire in position upon the wheel.

8. The combinationwith a vehicle-wheel presenting oppositely-inclined surfaces on its periphery, o a tire presenting divergent slightly-inclined surfaces at its base, a pair of overlapping wedging-rings disposed between the periphery of the wheel andthe base of thetire, and means for drawing the wedgingrings together to secure the tire in posltion upon the wheel.

9. The combination with a vehicle-wheel, of a tire having an inextensible base, a pair of overlapping hollow wed g-rings disposed between the periphery o the wheel and the base of the tire and inclosing a chamber, and devices disposedin the chamber presented by said wedging-rings for drawing the rings together and therebysecuring the tire in posit1on upon thewheel.

In testimony whereof I have affixed my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

I THOMAS MIDGLEY; Witnesses:

J. BossEN,

' D. W. PINNEY. 

